Embassy of the United States

Presidential Visit

United States Transforming Alliance with South Korea, Bush Says

President Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak August 6 Security ties, Six-Party Talks top Seoul summit agenda By David l. McKeeby Staff Writer August 6, 2008 Washington -- America’s half-century of partnership with South Korea is “one of the great success stories of modern times,” says President Bush. “Freedom has helped turn a nation mired in poverty and recovering from war into a vibrant democracy and a strong partner.” Transforming and expanding the relationship to meet the challenges of the 21st century took center stage as Bush met President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea at Seoul’s Blue House August 6, the first stop on Bush’s three-nation Asian tour. “Alliances aren’t stagnant; they’ve got to constantly reassess,” Bush said during a joint appearance with Lee. “And that’s what we’re doing in a way that will not only help defend the freedom here on the Korean Peninsula, but also will help us meet the challenges of a new century.” Since coming to the South’s defense in the Korean War, the United States has been committed to its success, says Bush, providing security support that helped democracy take root in the Republic of Korea, safeguarded it from communist North Korea and promoted peace and prosperity in the region.  “The bedrock of this alliance is our belief in liberty. And there's no place on earth that more clearly demonstrates the contrast between free and open societies, and repressive, closed societies than the Korean Peninsula,” Bush said in a speech to U.S. and Korean troops in Yongsan later in the day.  Since 2004, the U.S. military has been realigning its forces stationed in South Korea.  It will have reduced the number of troops by 12,500 by the end of 2008, is transferring bases and other facilities and is providing $11 billion in security assistance.  As Seoul takes a leading role in its security, it also is deploying its military medics, engineers and other support personnel to help Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon emerge from years of conflict and rebuild their countries, Bush said.    “The Korean people have made sacrifices,” Bush said, “and they've made a difference.” CHALLENGES AHEAD IN NORTH KOREA Closer to home, Bush and Lee highlighted recent progress in convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program through the Six-Party Talks but pressed for Pyongyang to agree on a verification plan for its nuclear weapons program or face continued international isolation. “We’re in the process now of making sure the North Korean government understands they have many more obligations under the Six-Party Talks, and that we will deal with the North Koreans based upon the principle of action for action,” says Bush.  The Six-Party Talks process, which is chaired by China and also includes diplomats from Japan and Russia, is now working to formulate a process to verify North Korea’s nuclear inventory through a review of supporting documents, visits to nuclear facilities and interviews with North Korean nuclear scientists to find out exactly how much weapons-grade plutonium has been produced. “Our goal is firm and it is that the Korean Peninsula must be denuclearized,” Lee said.  “If we work with patience and consistency, verification can be done perfectly, and I believe North Korea should cooperate on this.” Bush urged North Korea to improve human rights conditions and expressed support for Lee’s proposal to resume South Korea’s dialogue with the North, in parallel to the Six-Party Talks, to improve economic conditions, offer a peaceful path for the two Koreas to co-exist and perhaps even open a way for future reunification. Washington’s pledge to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism also hinges on the verification agreement, Bush said.  “They’ve got a lot to do.  They’ve got to show us a verification regime that we can trust.”     “There's a series of steps that we've all agreed to, including North Korea,” Bush said.  “It's up to them to make the decision as to how they'll proceed.” Following his visit to South Korea, Bush travels to Thailand, where he will commemorate the 175th anniversary of U.S.-Thai relations and highlight continuing human rights issues in neighboring Burma, then on to China, where he will attend opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics.